Breaking The Ice
by Marichatsins
Summary: Lucy always dreamed about having that cliché love that seemed to come straight from a cheesy Hallmark movie. But clichés are overrated. Especially when you have a pink haired pyro catch you in that cliché fall. "How ya doin' down there?" "Oh, me? I'm fine. Thanks for asking." Now Lucy is caught up in new adventures with Natsu the Pyro, and a few friends they meet along the way.
1. Chapter 1

**I am so flipping excited for this book! I have so many good ideas for it! If you like it, please don't forget to review, favorite, and follow this book! It really does feel good when that happens!**

 **Without further ado, Breaking The Ice!**

* * *

 _New day, same old routine._

Lucy grimaced at the thought as she blankly stared at herself in the full length mirror, eyeing the outfit she was wearing to meet her father in his study. A dark purple pencil skirt was wrapped tightly around her curvy waist, clinging to every movement she made, tucking in her frilly white blouse that only accentuated her already generous chest. She adorned a matching purple jacket and her black high heels tied the professional looking outfit together.

It was beautiful, sure, but it just wasn't her. She loved her skirts, but not this kind. Lucy preferred shorter, more free skirts or even shorts or skinny jeans! But she was just not one for this uncomfortable and stiff outfit. She'd much rather be in her leggings and a tank top, curled on her bed with the new book she had bought recently, not going to her father's office.

"Miss Lucy? You're father would like to see you now." A pink haired maid, who had been the blonde's friend for as long as she could remember, popped her head through the gap in the door, blue eyes looking at her mistress. Lucy's shoulders slumped before she immediately straightened herself up, readjusting the bun perched on her head before turning to greet Virgo.

"Thank you Virgo. I will see myself there." Virgo nodded once in affirmation before she ducked out of the door, disappearing inside the vast halls inside the large Heartfilia manor. Lucy looked herself over once more before following in suit.

Walking down the halls, Lucy's face darkened as the sound of her heels clicking against the hard marble filled the empty corridor. No matter how big this house was, there was nothing that could squander the feeling of loneliness and sadness. Lucy took a deep breath as she approached a large wooden door at the end of the hall, an ominous cloud radiating off of it.

Hesitantly, she knocked and got a quiet response from her father, Jude Heartfilia. "Come in."

Doing as she was commanded, Lucy pushed against the heavy wooden doors as she made her way in. Her father was sat behind a large desk in a fairly empty room, clad in a dark brown tweed suit, his dark blond hair gelled back as he regarded Lucy with empty seemingly black eyes.

"You asked for me, father?" Lucy's voice was tight, almost sounding strained as she felt his cold gaze fall upon her. After years of practice, she's perfected this routine.

"Ah, yes. I have received news from Gerard Beradik that he has accepted the invitation to have dinner with you tonight. He will pick you up from here promptly at six tonight. I expect you to be properly dressed and on time, seeing as he has shown interest in having your hand in marriage. Is that understood?"

Piercing coals burned their way onto Lucy's delicate skin as Jude's dominating aura dared her to challenge him. She swallowed thickly before nodding, accepting defeat.

"What have I told you? Speak when spoken too."

"Yes, father." Lucy corrected her mistake as she focused her brown orbs on the sparkling white marble she was standing on in these god awful heels.

"Yes, what?"

Grinding her teeth, Lucy bit back the sarcastic response she had conjured, opting to go for what she knew her father would want to hear. "Yes, I will meet Mr. Beradik for dinner tonight."

"Good. You are dismissed."

 _Finally…_ Lucy thought as she hightailed it out of the office, darting as quickly as she could in her uncomfortable shoes to her room. She snatched her pink phone off of her desk, where an untouched stack of letters sat, before she dialed the number that she knew like the back of her hand.

The dial tone sounded in her ear. Lucy didn't have to wait long as the person on the other side of the line picked up after the second ring.

" _Hello?"_

"Hey Levy. Can we meet at Mermaid Heel in a half an hour?"

* * *

After Levy agreed to meet Lucy at the popular cafe, the blond immediately took out the firm bun on her head in exchange for pulling all of her long hair to the right side of her head, tying it with a simple white ribbon. Once that action was done, she set out to walk to Mermaid Heel instead of asking Capricorn to drive her.

Plus, it would give her time to finally read that new book she bought a few days ago with Levy.

Too bad she didn't realize just how icy it was outside. The preposterous heels had no friction or support as every step she took made her slide. It wasn't very pleasant, to say the least as she felt the chilling wind bite at the parts of her skin that weren't covered. She mentally cursed herself, wishing that she wouldn't have stormed out of the manor fast enough to forget her winter coat and was now stuck in this paper thin outfit.

Lucy sighed, a white cloud puffing from her parted lips as she walked as fast as she could in the current condition of the sidewalks. She was halfway to Mermaid Heel, and Levy was expecting her in ten minutes. At this rate, she was going to be late. And she was the one who initiated the meet!

Not paying close enough attention to her surroundings, Lucy was caught off guard when she felt her footing slip. The sudden momentum of her leg sliding against the ice threw her weight back onto her other leg, causing her to fall back.

Lucy prepared herself for the harsh impact of the cement, but instead of the feeling of her body slamming against the sidewalk, Lucy collided with something warm and fleshy.

With her body slanted in an awkward position, a tan arm was wrapped around her curvy waist, and it could almost be passed off to onlookers that she was doing the dip.

The man who's limb she was currently being held up with gazed down at her with curious yet cocky olive green eyes. A white, scaly scarf was wrapped around his neck and the tips of the worn down scarf dangled in front of her face, emitting an aroma that Lucy had never smelled before. The first thing she thought of when she saw him face to face was pink. He had _pink_ hair. That had to be the strangest thing Lucy had ever seen on a man, probably ever. Yet for some odd reason, it worked for him with his tan skin and sparkling white teeth and with the pair of green eyes thrown into the mix only added to the man's unique look. He was pretty hot, if Lucy did say so herself.

The man flashed his canines down at Lucy, a wide grin making its way onto his face where she noticed a pink scar on the right side of his jaw that followed every movement his lips made. He opened his mouth to speak and Lucy had been expecting something charming to fall from the handsome man's lips.

"How ya doin' down there?"

And instead she got that. Her heart dropped and the small glimmer of hope that she had maybe found a prince charming went along with it, leaving behind a speck of disappointment. Remembering that the man had asked her a question, Lucy blinked as she responded.

 _Okay Lucy. This is your time to say something cute, so don't screw it up._

"Oh, me? I'm fine. Thanks for asking."

 _And you screwed it up._

The man laughed before he righted her, keeping his hand on her waist until she was firmly planted onto the ground. "Ah, man! Ya didn't twist yer ankle, didja?" His green eyes that were once filled with curiosity were now filled with concern as he stared down at her heels. Cocking a brow, he continued. "I mean, with those shoes, I wouldn't be surprised."

"No, I'm fine. Thank you…?" She trailed off as she glanced up at the pink haired stranger, fully expecting him to continue on with her sentence.

"Natsu. Natsu Dragneel."

"Thanks Natsu. I'm Lucy He- Lucy."

"Well, talk about breaking the ice, huh?" Natsu laughed at his own joke, either completely oblivious or just ignorant of her eye roll. Suddenly, he quieted down as a frown replaced his smile. Pointing at the street he cleared his throat. "I hope that wasn't yers."

Following to where Natsu was pointing, a gasp escaped from her as she stupidly ran towards her book that she had been so excited to read. It was lying open, face down on a sloshy snow-water mixture in the middle of a street. She ignored Natsu's yell as she dashed onto the road, bending to reach for the book when she heard the loud honk of a car coming her way. Caught like a deer in the headlights, literally, Lucy froze in terror as the vehicle neared her at a high speed.

"Woah! Wait!" Natsu's arms encircled Lucy's waist once more as he pulled her away from the street, yanking her from danger as a speeding car raced past them, running over her precious book. Natsu and Lucy watched as the car that had nearly ran her over turned around the corner with no intention on seeing if the blonde woman was alright or not. "Are you crazy or something? Is a book more important than your life, Lucy? Ya can't just go runnin' into a busy street like this without lookin' first!"

She didn't respond as she stared in horror at her destroyed book, barely acknowledging the fact that Natsu was shaking her shoulders like a madman. Not only was her book destroyed, but she had just very nearly lost her life to a man who didn't give a damn on whether she was hit or not. A part of her was glad that the whole cliché where your life flashes before your eyes when your close to dying didn't happen to her. It wouldn't have been a very happy flashback, not for her.

"Lucy, answer me. Ya can't just stand there in shock all day. Ya'd freeze ta death."

"..."

"Is it about that book?"

"..."

"I mean, if it's about that book, I can take you to the bookstore across the street. Ya know, just to make sure ya don't slip again, or get ran over. That, and the book ya had is destroyed." His offer seemed to have knocked her out of her thought, as she looked up at him with watery brown eyes that stung from the unshed tears.

"L-Lucy? Th-there's no need to cry now! Yer safe and- and we're gonna go ta that bookstore and I'm gonna buy ya a new book! So it's all good so just stop cryin'!" Saying Natsu didn't like to see people cry was an understatement. Understatement of the year in fact. He absolutely _hated_ it, especially when the person crying was a woman.

Not because he was sexist or anything!

Natsu shrugged his black jacket off before hanging it on her shoulders, figuring that she was probably freezing in the outfit she was wearing. The same smell from his scarf surrounded her, enveloping her in a woodsy, fiery scent that for some reason was the best thing she had ever smelled before.

 _What does fire even smell like? I feel like this is what it would smell like._

At first, Natsu was confused as to why he had even offered her his coat in the first place, even though his odd body temperature would have kept him warm. It was just not something that he did! After a moment, he shrugged it off, seeing as Lucy seemed to be warmer.

Planting a wavering grin on his face, he turned her around so they were both facing the store on the opposite side of the street. Keeping one secure arm around Lucy's waist, he looked both ways before the two crossed the street. His grin grew more confident as he saw her watery eyes begin to dry as a smile smile began to appear on her face, growing with every step they took towards the bookstore.

"Thank you for saving me again." Natsu turned towards her as she shook her head, blinking away her tears. "God, that was terrifying."

"Yeah, well, next time ya should be more careful kay? I don't wanna see ya get crushed." Lucy laughed, causing him to chuckle along with her.

"Oh wow Natsu. Such a way with words." She threaded her arms through the black jacket that Natsu had placed on her shoulders, thanking him for the jacket as she wallowed in the extra warmth it gave her. Her legs still felt shaky from the near death experience, but she did feel a lot better as she walked with Natsu towards the bookstore across from them.

"Y'know, ya say thank ya too much, Luce. Just go along with it, because it's all a part of the adventure." Natsu adjusted the scale-like scarf wrapped around his neck, tugging it down a bit. He held the door open for Lucy as they came in front of the bookstore called Amorem Libros. Lucy sighed as the warm air covered her face, her eyes lighting up as she saw the shelves of books. Not waiting for him, Lucy dashed in toward her favorite section, only turning back for a second to see if Natsu would follow her.

He did catch up, after she had gone down her third aisle though. In her arms she held a replacement for her ruined book along with a few others.

"Why do ya love books so much anyways? They're just a bunch of words. Now, comics. That's where it's at." Lucy stopped her browsing to glare up at the perpetrator, looking more offended with each word that the rose-haired man spoke.

"I can't believe you just said that. I will tell you exactly what there is to love about books. And comics? Those were so 20 years ago."

"Little Miss Feisty, aren't we Lucy?" Natsu snickered as the blonde grabbed his hand, her smaller one wrapping tightly around his larger and more calloused one as she tugged him along, dragging him to god knows where. "I'm sorry Luce, but comics are way better. Not only do ya have cool pictures, but ya also get awesome fightin' scenes!"

"You can get that in books too, Natsu." Lucy ignored the fluttering in her chest as she was dubbed the nickname 'Luce' and continued to pull Natsu along to a certain aisle that she had in mind. "And you can get so much more from them too! You can get romance, and adventure, and mystery, and humor! Oh, and don't forget about fantasy!"

Lucy's chocolate orbs shined in a certain light that was hard or just any person to describe as she talked about her love for books. "Oh yeah? And what's your favorite genre to read?"

"... I can't decide between adventure and romance! Though books that have both of them are definitely the best!" Finally the duo came to a stop as Lucy began to search through the stacks, looking for a specific title. Finally spotting it on the top shelf, much to her dismay, she saw the label _Pride & Prejudice_. Cursing her short stature, she placed a hand on Natsu's shoulder, before jumping wildly for the thick book, using Natsu's height to her advantage.

A swing and a miss later, Natsu found himself chuckling as he reached for the book he suspected she was trying to snatch and easily plucked it from its perch before offering it down to the petite Lucy. When she didn't take it but instead pushed it back to him, he looked at her in confusion.

" _Pride & Prejudice. _One of the greatest books that I have ever read. I want you to read that, and if you can tell me that comics are still better than books, then…" Her tone faltered as she realized that she didn't really have anything to offer to this man, if he actually won, that is.

"Then, ya have to go on a date with me."

"What?"

"Well, if I win, I want ya to go on a date with me. But in return, I want ya to read my favorite comic." Lucy's face turned a unique shade of red as Natsu told her his end of the bargain. She began to sputter out nonsense words as she stared up at the guy in embarrassment.

"W-Why do you w-want to g-go on a date with me?" Lucy wasn't flustered at this, no. She was beyond flustered. Never had any man been so bold with her, yet here was this pink haired man, barely past the stranger phase, asking her out on a date. She had never felt so flattered yet so embarrassed before!

"My cousin's been buggin' me 'bout never gettin' a date lately, so I'm gonna prove him wrong." Natsu declared with a proud punch to his chest as he smiled down cheekily at her. Though his boyish grin quickly morphed into a cocky smirk as he tilted his head to the side, leaning in closer to her face. "And, are ya that scared of losin' yer bet? Not confident enough in yer book, huh?"

He was challenging her. Lucy knew that. But that little stubborn part of her personality, okay big stubborn part, did not take challenges lightly. She was competitive, a trait she had unfortunately earned from her father. She never backed down from a challenge, so who was she to back down from this one?

"You know what? You have a deal, Natsu Dragneel. And if I end up winning, I get to choose 10 books that you have to buy me."

"You're on, Luce. Now come on, I have to go buy you that book that got ruined and a comic book for you to read."

* * *

If she took a long time looking for her books, well then Natsu spent an eternity browsing for a single comic book, that Lucy was certain of. Because next thing she knew, the two were bustling to the cashier as they told them that they were going to close in ten minutes. Natsu, being somewhat of a gentleman, and also noticing that she didn't have her purse on her, paid for all three items.

"He's a keeper, sweetie. It's good to know that chivalry isn't dead in all men." The elderly lady said behind the cash register as she rang their books.

"I-It's not- we're not- I just met him! We aren't dating!" Lucy spluttered as her cheeks turned a pink that could rival Natsu's hair. Speaking of, he was no help at all. All he did was laugh obnoxiously.

"Ah, well you should snatch him up quick before someone else does hon, you're gonna regret it otherwise." Lucy's blush darkened by several shades as Natsu's laugh grew even more obnoxious.

"I uh, sure." Lucy waited as patiently as she could. The lady couldn't have bagged slower before she handed the plastic sack to Natsu. Not helping in any way possible, Natsu threw an arm over her shoulders, pulling her taut against him.

"Ah, Luce is cute, isn't she ma'am? It would be an honor, to date someone as pretty and nice as her." Kissing Lucy's cheek, the elderly woman behind the cash register giggled as she nodded in agreement with him, oblivious to the slap at the back of his head that he had received from Lucy.

After the slap, the two dashed out of the store in a hurry.

"Well, that was nice huh?"

"Nice? That was embarrassing Natsu!" He laughed once more as she told him to shut up. Lucy stared at the night sky and puffed out a breath of semi-annoyance. "Why would you do that?"

Natsu shrugged as he walked forward, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Why not? It was fun?"

Lucy scoffed but didn't push his arm off of her.

"Yeah, so you should let me walk ya home. It's late, and yer clumsy self is gonna slip again." It was more of a demand rather than an offer, but Lucy was happy that he at least seemed to care about her safety, even if he had to throw in an insult. She just figured that that was how Natsu was, going by the past couple of hours she has known him.

"You can walk me to the bus?" Even though Natsu was nice, it didn't mean she was comfortable enough to let him know where she lived, seeing as Heartfilia was plastered on a giant golden plate in front of the gates in her house. She just didn't like having people know her as a Heartfilia. It was unpleasant, as she was usually being used as a gateway for cash.

That had been a particularly bad time in her life, and when she thought she had finally made a friend around her age, everything had backfired on her, and in the end she was the one left. She was used and abused and then abandoned. And not even Levy, who had somehow helped break down some of her barricades, could pick up all the shattered pieces from her past.

Natsu's face visibly paled before turning a sickly shade of green. "Uh, Natsu?" The man tried his best to straighten up, reminding himself that he wasn't even on the transportation device.

"Ugh… Motion… Sickness…" He gurgled out as the thought of riding on one of those metal death machines overpowered him.

"Seriously? You aren't even on a vehicle!" Though his sickness did help her stop thinking about past experiences, as she laughed at the poor man who was starting to tilt over in nausea before she decided it was time that she helped him upright.

After Natsu had gotten over his moment of weakness, or as Lucy called it his 'Overdramatic Act', they had began their trek to the nearest bus stop, being wary of the now unseeable ice. Every minute or so, one of the two were slipping and had to rely on the latter to help keep them steady. The walk there was silent, but not an awkward silence. Much to Lucy's relief seeing as this was the first time she's talked to a male that her father hadn't introduced her to.

Once they finally reached the dreaded death machine's stop, Natsu took out _Pride & Prejudice, _and handed Lucy the light brown sack that had held the comic book and the new book he had bought her. He almost made his curses known as the bus pulled up the exact moment she took the bag from his hands.

"I guess I'll see you around Natsu."

"Yeah, and don't go slippin' in places where I can't be there to catch ya Luce."

"Shut up!" Natsu only laughed at her non-aggressive retort before he waved goodbye as the bus doors closed on Lucy. It was only when she had sat down and the bus began to move did she realize that she still had Natsu's coat wrapped around her shoulders.

Even as she asked the bus driver to stop and ran off the bus to give the rose-haired man his coat, Natsu had disappeared, almost as if he hadn't existed in the first place. And the only proof she had that he did, was tucked away in her arms as if it were the most fragile thing in the world.

* * *

 **Updates will be slower than once a week, which sucks, but I promise to make the chapters long and written to the best of my ability!**

 **Until next time, peace!**


	2. Chapter 2

Lucy was sat on her neatly made bed, staring at the black jacket that was draped on her chair across the room. Natsu's coat. She felt bad for still having it, and it wasn't like she had any way to return it to the original owner. Now that she was thinking about it, there was no way that their little deal was going to be completed, seeing as neither party had the other's phone number or email or anything.

Shifting her gaze over to the comic book that was laid neatly on the desk in front of the chair, she pondered on whether she should start reading the book or not. It was a familiar title, about a hero that most people commonly know. _Spider-Man_ , was it? She knew who the superhero was, but due to her 'secluded' lifestyle she never got to watch the movie. Or any hero movies now that she thought about it.

Even though she didn't get to experience the world of superheroes, she always had a fascination with them. Her mother used to tell her stories about heroes every night as a bedtime story. That is, until her mother left the country. But even now as a twenty-year-old she always dreamed that a hero would come and save her from the life she was living, from her father. She dreamed to touch the sky with her own Superman, but it was an unrealistic dream. She was never going to escape the hell her father is pushing her into.

Thoughts about the rose-haired man from last night popped into her head again. It was a foolish thought, but her time with him last night was the most fun she ever had. She's never really met someone quite like him. He was eccentric, zealous, and boisterous and kept worming his way into her head with that pink hair of his. It was such a shame she would most likely never see him again. Even with that thought, she still felt like she should follow through with their agreement.

 _"Well, if I win, I want ya to go on a date with me."_

Her cheeks flushed a bright pink at his words, warming her entire body with just a mere memory. Just before she reached out to grab the slim comic, her phone began buzzing on her pillow, sliding down next to her thigh. Scrunching the back of the blonde rat's nest she called her hair, she yawned before answering the phone. "Hello?"

" _Lucy! Are you okay?"_ Drawing her brows together, Lucy frowned as she pulled the phone away to look at the caller ID.

"Levy? Yeah, I'm fine, why?" Tucking the pink device between her ear and shoulder so she could twist her tangled locks into a temporary bun as she decided that it was high time to get ready for the day.

" _Well, you didn't show up yesterday so I got worried. It didn't help that you didn't pick up your phone the entire night."_

"Oh crap! I'm so sorry Levy! I ended up getting distracted, and I didn't even get home until ten and I'm so sorry that I forgot!" _Damn that Natsu, making me forget about my best friend._ "I'll make it up to you, I promise."

" _Yeah."_ Levy teased Lucy. " _It's fine though, Lu. Although, I met this guy named Gajeel. He was so rude! He sat down with me and kept calling me shrimp and is so rude. He was huge as well Lu, with weird face piercings and really long black hair. And he just wouldn't go away and-"_

"Is it possible that you might, oh I don't know, have a crush on him Lev? Cause he sounds just like your type."

" _Pfft. Him and I? I bet he hasn't even touched a book."_

"You two could be like your favorite novel, _Beauty and the Beast_." Lucy smirked as she heard Levy's small gasp, imagining her furrowing her brows in the way she does every time she got teased.

" _Okay, well you know what Lu? What you're saying is impossible because it's likely I won't ever see him again and-"_

A knock resounded through Lucy's room, successfully cutting Levy off as Virgo's voice quickly followed after. "Miss Lucy? Mr. Jude has requested to see you in fifteen minutes."

"Okay, thanks Virgo." Once Lucy heard Virgo walk away from her bedroom she spoke again. "Hey Lev?"

" _Yeah, I heard her. I'll come over in a half an hour so we can walk together to the bookstore, okay? I heard they were having a sale, and I figure you're gonna need some cheering up like you usually do."_

Lucy cringed at her friend's obvious jab at her father, wishing she wouldn't word it like that. "Um, yeah. Okay." Once Levy hung up, Lucy stared at her cell. The way she said that, it made it sound like every meeting with her father always ended with her crying, which it didn't by the way. There were some meetings that were enjoyable. That's good, right?

 _No, it probably isn't._

* * *

She was back in the freezing room that she called her father's study. His anger radiated off of him in waves as she uncomfortably stood as stiff as a board, facing him. She hadn't bothered to changed into clothes that her father would approve of, instead opting for leggings, an oversized sweater and her favorite pair of brown boots.

"You blatantly disregarded what I told you to do." Jude snarled at his daughter who had her head bowed. "Mr. Boradik was not pleased when he came here to find out that you weren't even home."

Lucy didn't even bother to wonder why her father didn't ask her where she was at so late, or why she came home late. All that mattered to him, was marrying her off to some rich guy, no matter what the age the man is, so she can give birth to a son.

What, were they living in the medieval times? Who did arranged marriages anymore? And adding to that, why must she have a son? Can't she run the business just fine? Apparently not. As these thoughts boiled in her head, her father continued on with his lecture. It was all well thought out, and as meticulous as he always was when it came to his daughter.

"You're a disgrace. You lack everything good your mother had, only gaining her stubbornness." Lucy swallowed the retort she had, deciding to take the verbal beat down to get out of there quicker. "You are lucky that Mr. Beradik was kind enough-" Now at that, Lucy almost snorted at. "-to give you a second chance. Since he is in Crocus for the next two weeks, he has asked to have dinner with you a week after he returns. And you will _not_ miss this one, or else there will be dire consequences."

Lucy gulped at his threat, but managed to keep her emotions wiped clean off her face, keeping it blank. "Yes. I understand father."

Jude didn't seem too pleased by her easy acceptance. "You are one of the faces of this family. And as the face of this family, I cannot allow you to go do something that can very well ruin the image that I have worked so hard to attain, do you understand me? I will not let some ignorant girl who thinks she can have her own adventures tear down all the years I have put into this business. It's pathetic."

Lucy felt her heart shatter as he mentioned 'adventures'. That had always been her dream, even as a small child, and to hear her father say that her dreams to go on an adventure was pathetic, it hurt her more than she could ever imagine. It wouldn't have been a surprise to her- it shouldn't have. In fact, she should have expected it sooner. All his constant scolding and demeaning words directed towards her should have led her to know that he wouldn't care about her dreams or feelings.

No, the only thing that Jude Heartfilia really cared about was his money and reputation. And the only thing his daughter was good for was for all the marriage arrangements to rich and important families who held a high role in their society.

Jude glowered at his daughter once more with his charcoal eyes. Now that he knew his words had gotten through to her, he looked back down at all of the paperwork piled on his desk as he dismissed her.

"You are excused. I have more important things to deal with, rather than reprimanding you."

* * *

"That's terrible Lu. He shouldn't have said that you," Levy murmured, rubbing her best friend's back in a way to comfort her. Lucy just smiled gratefully at the short girl. She had just gotten done with explaining to Levy what had happened in her father's study. As soon as Jude had dismissed Lucy, Levy had texted her that she was outside. Lucy didn't waste any time as she grabbed her coat and purse before hurrying out the big doors and the gate that secured the mansion.

"That's nothing. In fact, I'm surprised at how smoothly it went. And I don't really regret it. Hanging out with Natsu that night, was probably the closest thing I got to making a friend by myself. Except for you, of course." The two friends continued their walk down to the bookstore that Lucy had been at the night before. Levy had been super excited ever since she learned that their favorite shop was having a sale, so of course the book lover had to drag Lucy along with her to the store to buy several books to read.

"So tell me more about this Natsu guy. You told me you owed me, so it's time to pay up." Lucy yawned quietly behind her gloved hand. This time, she had been smarter to dress up in warmer clothes, even though the weather was nicer than it had been the past couple of days. She even got to wear her loved and well-used boots today!

"What's there to talk about? I barely got to know him."

"Tell me about him! What did he look like? Was he cute? Was he nice to you, or was he mean?" She pestered, ignoring the weird look the blonde gave her. It was the first time that she had ever heard her talk about a guy so animatedly. Levy felt that it was good for Lucy to find this man she spoke of. The blonde always had such high standards, practically nonexistent ones for men. It had always worried Levy that these standards would cause the young woman to never fall in love.

"He was nice. Nice enough to buy me some books in replacement of the ruined one I guess. Though he had really pink hair, but it went really well with his tanned skin and dark forest green eyes. It was weird how it all went together so well. I never thought until I met him, that I'd think a guy with pink hair was cute. Oh, and he did save me. Twice. So-"

"He what? What do you mean, he saved you- oh my god that's him!" Levy cut off her own sentenced as she pointed to the left of Lucy wildly, her light brown eyes widening. Lucy turned to face where she was pointing, her heart leaping at the thought of seeing Natsu again. So you could definitely say she was a little more than disappointed when she saw a big, muscly man with extremely long black hair on a basketball court, leaning against the fence. Levy quickly forgot about what she and Lucy were talking about previously as she scowled at the man.

"That's the guy who sat next to me yesterday!" Levy swiveled on her heel in the opposite direction, but Lucy had a grip on her thin arm before the blue haired girl could get away.

"Oh? That's Gajeel? A lot bigger than I imagined. But I guess he's cute." Lucy cocked her head as she studied the man. Even from where she was, she could point out the black ink that decorated the skin on his arm and up his neck, but that wasn't what she found odd. No, what she found odd, was the fact that he was in muscle tee in the middle of winter.

"Yeah, great Lu. You saw him. Can we go now? Please?" Lucy, of course, ignored the smaller girl, opting for dragging her to the unknowing man.

Crimson eyes flitted over to the pair, being greeted with an odd sight. A blonde girl was pulling the shrimp that he had met the day before. Said shrimp was kicking her small legs in the opposite direction of him. A smirk made it's way onto his pierced face as they stopped in front of him.

"Oi, shrimp. Nice ta see ya again. Haven't gotten any taller since the last time, huh?" Levy puffed out her cheeks in annoyance, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at Lucy. Her eyes told the blonde 'I am so gonna kill you when we're done with this' but the blonde was either oblivious to the look, or ignorant. Gajeel wasn't quite sure which one.

"So you're Gajeel? Levy's told me a lot about you." The girl stuck her hand out to him, a warm smile on her face. "I'm Lucy, her best friend." Gajeel barked out a laugh before his larger and more calloused hand enveloped her dainty one giving it a firm shake.

"Gajeel." He noticed her dark brown eyes light up as he shook her hand. "So Shrimp here's told ya a lot 'bout me?" Lucy nodded. Her eyes quickly changed to a demonic look as she raised the corner of her mouth into an evil smirk. Now that she listened more carefully, he had the same accent as Natsu did.

God, she really needed to get that energetic man out of her head already. It wasn't good for her to let herself get so warped by someone who was practically a stranger. She needed to stay more focused. It just so happened that his hair was her favorite color. Why did he color it that color? And with it being as spikey as it was, it led Lucy to wonder if it was soft to the touch.

And there she goes again. Seriously, what was that guy doing to her? She'd never felt so off track before. Heck, she's never even thought about something for this long. She never had the need to, everything always just came to her. A math problem? She could solve it in her head in an instant. Trying to understand ancient Fiorian? It came so easily to her. But this man was something she just couldn't wrap her head around. She didn't understand him and she didn't understand why he wouldn't just leave her head.

Levy tugged on Lucy's sleeve, knocking her out of her thoughts, trying to attempt to abandon ship and ditch Gajeel. But Lucy wasn't going to let her do it. Smirking, Lucy spoke. "She couldn't stop talking about you on the phone. I think she was looking forward to meeting you again-"

"No I wasn't! He's the jerk, remember Lu?" Gajeel glanced down at Levy before his elbow came to rest on top of her head.

"Is that so? Shrimp, ya coulda just told me ya wanted ta date me. But I didn't take ya as the type ta go for bad boys." Lucy laughed behind her hand and Levy's face turned a deep shade of red.

"Why you! I never said that I wanted to-"

Gajeel amusedly watched as the vertically challenged girl went on into a rant about Lucy not listening to her. Blood rushed into the blue haired girl's cheeks as an angry red blush coated her skin. Lucy on the other hand, was turning red from hysteria rather than embarrassment.

An icy wind blew through the basketball court, chilling Lucy to the bone. To her amazement, the brutish man in front of her didn't even flinch from the sudden cold assault. The cold reminded Lucy of the black jacket she still had on her desk back in her room.

"I hope Natsu is not cold…" Lucy muttered under her breath as the tips of her ears burned from the harsh wind. Or at least that's what she told herself. Luckily for her, neither Gajeel or Levy heard her whisper. The two were too caught up in their own argument to even notice that Lucy was still there.

"Yo, Metalhead! What's takin' ya so long?"

Gajeel scowled at the annoying voice of his cousin. But while Gajeel practically growled at the voice, Lucy's heartbeat picked up its pace at the familiarity of it. It was the same as the man who had given her his jacket the other night.

"Shut it, Salamander! I'm talkin' ta Shrimp 'ere." Gajeel snipped back, his heavily pierced face scowling at the rose-haired man that was jogging over to the group. He looked the same as he did the night before, with a white t-shirt and the scaly scarf wrapped securely around his neck. The only difference was he had a pair of joggers on instead of black jeans.

And he was heading straight for them.

"Natsu?"

* * *

 **This story is starting to move along. Finally got Levy and Gajeel action in the story, and no I did not just forget about her in the last chapter anon. I wrote it that way so the two could meet in a cute way.**

 **Until next time, peace!**


	3. Chapter 3

"Natsu?"

The man that had himself stuck inside of Lucy's head since she met him grinned as his olive colored eyes landed on her, a corner of his mouth lifting as his white canines peeked through his parted lips. She watched as he began to speak, her heart fluttering at the hundreds of different things he could say to her within the next moment.

"Oh hey! What's up Luigi? My comic better than the book yer tryin' to make me read?"

However, that was not one of them. The smile she had been wearing just for the rose-haired man quickly turned into a scowl, her chocolate eyes darkening. "My name's Lucy!" She corrected the man, partially turning her head away from him. Natsu chuckled as he scratched the back of his head.

"And I haven't read your flimsy comic book," Lucy continued, moving her gaze back onto him. Natsu still held a childish smirk as he began to twirl the basketball that he had been holding onto. He and his cousin had come to the basketball court to play a round to settle a fight, but he was definitely pleasantly surprised to see the pretty girl from last night.

Totally beats seeing Gajeel's ugly mug anyday.

After Natsu's and Lucy's exchange of words, the former finally noticed the petite short haired girl standing next to Gajeel. She was glaring at the heavily pierced man, but Natsu wasn't really surprised. Gajeel usually pissed everyone off. With the pinkette, all it took was one glance before the two started fighting with each other.

Before he could say a word, the blue haired girl held her hand out to him, her light brown eyes looking at him in determination.

"I'm Levy McGarden," Levy said as Natsu took her smaller hand into his much larger one. "I'm Lucy's best friend. You're Natsu right?" Natsu's smirk grew into a shit eating grin as his eyes sparked with a sudden evilness.

"Aw, Luce!" His voice changed into a mock higher pitched one as Natsu turned to face the now blushing blonde. "You talk about me with your best friend?" Sarcasm was mixed with his fake girlish voice as he let go of Levy's hand to hang a loose arm around Lucy's shoulders. "I knew you cared about me."

Once her face was red enough to his liking, Natsu leaned closer, a hand shielding Levy's and Gajeel's view of Lucy's ear and his mouth. "Don't worry Luce. I talked about you too."

If possible, steam would be shooting off of her face as it heated up to an unbearable red. Seeing his little trick succeed, Natsu laughed loudly as Lucy shoved him away, trying to cool her burning face with her cold hands. The ball twirling on her pointer nearly fell, but Natsu quickly recovered it as he continued to smirk.

"Oi, Salamander! Quit flirtin'! We got a game to finish!" Gajeel yipped. One of his meaty hands slapped the spinning basketball off of his cousin's finger. Natsu glared at him and was ready to yell an insult at Gajeel, but his stomach grumbled loudly in complaint. Suddenly, the rose-haired man's face lit up as he snapped his head to look at Lucy who was still trying to calm down her raging blush.

"Let's go eat, Luce!" Without warning, he snatched her smaller hand into his and began to drag her away from the basketball court and Gajeel who was aiming to throw the basketball they were going to use at him until Lucy's little friend Levy smacked it out of his hand and grabbed the burly man by the elbow, pulling him after us.

Natsu cackled at the sight before slowing down his pace so that Lucy could walk normally.

"Where are we going, Natsu?" Lucy's heart raced, beating in a wild rhythm as she watched Natsu as he nonchalantly slid his tan hand down her wrist and into her's, lacing his fingers with hers. When she glanced up at him, it looked as if he didn't even know he was doing it. She wouldn't be surprised if he didn't.

 _This man is truly something else…_ The thought was true though. He had no concept of personal space, he was so easy going and relaxed, and he was easily the most social person she had ever met. And she met Hibiki Lates as he was introduced as a possible fiance from her dad. But not only that, but he managed to do something with her heart that she didn't know whether or not she liked it. He was so calm about everything that seemed to make her stomach twist and he had no hesitation towards anything, as if it were all a part of some plan of his.

Natsu shrugged in response to her question. "Somewhere that's got a lotta food."

Lucy rolled her brown eyes at him. "So descriptive." She muttered before she heard Gajeel's hearty laugh from the back of them. In a split second Levy was by her side, her cheeks puffed out angrily as she hooked her arm around Lucy's, pulling her away from Natsu, their entwined hands slipping apart.

"Levy? What-"

"I am not walking with him!" Levy growled before turning back at Gajeel who was still laughing with his cousin now by his side. "Quit calling me Shrimp! I'm not that small!" Levy pouted as Gajeel patted down her blue hair.

"Don't worry Shrimp. Yer just the right height for an armrest." Gajeel belted out another laugh, walking closely behind the two women, Natsu moving over to Lucy's side. Lucy laughed at the face that Levy made before she was suddenly jerked to the left by none other than Natsu.

"I knew it was 'round here somewhere!" Natsu exclaimed in happiness as he tugged Lucy into the restaurant he'd been looking for. Gajeel visibly paled as he read the name of the restaurant. _Titania's._ Honestly, seeing such a big, tough guy paling at the mention of a name should have set off some triggers in Lucy's head but she was completely oblivious to it as she looked in wonder at the small restaurant.

A bright smile made it's way onto Lucy's face, her eyes nearly sparkling as she walked in. _Titania's_ was a well-known restaurant in Magnolia, famous for their cakes. Lucy had always wanted to go here, but her father always refused. He told her that a lady of her stature wouldn't stoop low enough for small restaurant just to eat cake.

" _No, and that's the last I want to hear of this. You could very well ruin my reputation if someone caught you eating cake in a place meant for peasants."_

Her father's words echoed in her mind and caused her to come to a screeching halt. If she got caught in here, especially after her father's strict orders, who knows what kind of consequences she would have to suffer. Her relationship with her father was already on thin ice, and she didn't want to do anything that might result in her losing the only family she had left.

At the thought, Lucy's grin dropped as she imagined the horrible lecture her father would give her if he ever found out that she had even stepped inside the restaurant. Sure, _Titania's_ was famous in Magnolia, but she recalled her father saying something about the owner being an orphan, which in his eyes are people that the Heartfilia's don't associate with.

But then again, if her father had known that she was here with Natsu and Gajeel, he might as well just disown her, if not for the fact that she was his only child.

 _Are you really going to always do what your father tells you, Lucy? This is your chance to do something that you want to do, not something that father wants you to do._

It sounded like such a simple choice. It probably was, to anyone who wasn't Lucy. She often over analyzed even the simplest of things, which made decisions quite hard, more often than not. She had an inkling of a feeling of what to do but she didn't want to risk it. Why should she risk her last true family member for some stranger she had met the other night? Certainly there was no concrete reason as to what he should even trust him as well, forgetting about the fact that he had saved her life. So why is she having such a hard time with this? She should just turn around now while she still has the chance, snatch Levy, and never mention it to her father.

Natsu glanced behind him at Lucy, a big smile waning on his face as he grinned at her. He looked completely innocent and held a trustworthy look in his gorgeous forest green eyes that seemed to hold undying flames.

Her stomach was twisting from knowing what she was going to do next but she didn't care. She knew that in the end, it was all going to be worth it. "Hey Luce! What's takin' ya so long?"

She knew her answer the second that she saw that smile of his, the smile that made her stomach churn and her heart palpitate. She knew at that point, the punishment she might have to deal with later on would be worth it if it meant doing something she wanted to do. She knew, she'd rather see his smile than turn back around and risk the chance of never seeing this exotic and energetic man again.

Lucy had a ghost of a smile on her face as she chose what she knew was the right answer. Or what was hopefully the right answer. Only the future knew what was held in store for her if she went with this pink haired stranger.

"Coming!"

* * *

Lucy crossed her arms over her chest as she huffed, begrudgingly turning her head away from Natsu who was the source of her problem.

"Luce," Natsu whined, shaking her shoulder as if that would convince her to forgive him. "I didn't know I left my wallet." The shaking didn't cease as they both made their way to the park. Somewhere along the way they had lost Levy and Gajeel, who had not-so-secretly snuck off together into a store that she knew Levy loved. Lucy knew Levy had a crush on him! Oh, she was so going to tease her about this next time she saw her.

Currently, Natsu was trying to beg Lucy for forgiveness seeing as he had magically 'left his wallet at home' causing her to pay for all of the food that he had eaten, and he practically ate the entire restaurant. It was like that man had an endless pit for a stomach!

Gajeel had told her that they had just been lucky that Erza wasn't there, whoever that was. Judging by the look on his and Natsu's faces when he had mentioned that name, she doesn't think she wants to meet this Erza.

"C'mon Luce."

"Ugh! Fine! I forgive you, but you're paying next time." Natsu smirked, brushing arm against her shoulder with a sudden burst of cockiness filling inside of him.

"So yer sayin' that there'll be a next time? Good ta see that our date wasn't that bad." He teased her, watching in enjoyment as her face flared a bright red for the umpteenth time that day. She was beginning to hate the fact that a guy she barely knew anything about had the ability to make her blush like it was his second nature.

"Shut up, that wasn't a date." She muttered as they entered the seemingly abandoned park. There were no tracks in the snow in front of them as they walked on what they assumed was the sidewalk up to the swingset that was perched on top of the hill. She had asked him after they figured out that their companions had left if they could go to the park. So here they were now.

"Yeah, sure it wasn't." He was teasing her. She knew that. But even with that knowledge, it wasn't any help when it came to taming the raging blush on her cheeks. "Oh, Luce! Let's play twenty questions!"

"What?" A childish game in her opinion, yet childish seemed to fit this man's personality perfectly. It was something new, refreshing. It was fun.

Lucy sat down on one of the two swings on the rickety old set, curling her hands around the freezing chains as Natsu followed suit on the other one. "Twenty questions! Haven't ya ever played it?"

She shook her head no in response as the rose-haired man began to push back on the swing, kicking his legs so he could start to go higher. "It's easy, we take turns asking questions about each other until we reach twenty. There's really no rules to it. Just ask questions."

Simple enough.

Taking her silence as a yes, Natsu asked the first question for their little game, digging his heels into the freezing snow to slow himself down. "So what's yer favorite color?"

They both ended up going over twenty questions, realizing that it became increasingly easier to talk to one another after they got over the goofy basic questions before delving into the more personal ones. Lucy had learned by the end of the game that Natsu was twenty, his favorite color was red, he lived with his younger sister Wendy, was a volunteer firefighter and worked in Gajeel's auto shop even though he had an extreme case of motion sickness. She had also found out that he had a cat named Happy that's fur was colored blue. She almost regretted asking why he was permanently blue, as the rose-haired man had dived into a very, very, long story that could have been shortened. Apparently a guy named Reedus had been experimenting with different solutions of paints when Happy had knocked into the can, thus resulting in permanent blue fur.

As for Natsu though, he learned that Lucy was still nineteen, turning twenty a few days after his birthday, her favorite color was pink, she lived with her father still, she reads as often as she can, and that she had her own story that she was writing. That last one was particularly hard to get her to cough up. Her cheeks had darkened from the light pink it was from the cold wind to a rosy color as she muttered about her novel.

Speaking of her novel, Natsu was currently trying to get her to spill the beans on what it was about.

"C'mon Luce! Can't ya at least tell me what kinda book it is?" Natsu complained, yanking on the chain attached to her seat on the swing, swaying her side to side. Biting her tongue, Lucy rolled her eyes at the manchild as he began to throw what looked like a tantrum.

"It's just an adventure novel, Natsu. Nothing too special." His 'tantrum' ceased quickly as he grinned up at his blonde friend, (he was just going to assume that they were friends at this point), clearly happy about her answer.

"Now that wasn't too hard, was it?" Lucy huffed at his sarcastic response, crossing her arms over her chest as she pouted. "So why an adventure one?"

Lucy shrugged at the question. "Guess it's because I can't have an adventure of my own. I can just live through my characters." Lucy went on, completely oblivious to Natsu's frown. "My father keeps my on a tight leash, so I've never really gotten to do what other people have. Writing about someone else's adventures just seemed like the only way- What are you doing?"

Natsu had bolted off of the swingset, his hand latching onto her wrist as he pulled her up with him, his grip on her firm but gentle enough to not hurt her. Paying no mind to her stumbling behind him, Natsu began to march down the hill they had trekked up to get to their spot. "What does it look like I'm doin' ya weirdo?"

"Says the one with pink hair!"

"Anyways," Natsu ignored her comment as he turned to face her with a wide, lopsided grin, showing off his sharp white canines. His olive colored eyes seemed to almost sparkle as they bored into her dark brown ones. "Ya said like adventures, right?"

Lucy nodded, not quite catching onto what he was implying.

"Then what're ya waitin' for, ya weirdo? Let's go!"


	4. Chapter 4

"Then what're ya waitin' for, ya weirdo? Let's go!" Lucy stared at Natsu with a blank face, still trying to process what the rose-haired man wanted from her. While her heart was beating erratically in her chest and her skin burned where he touched her she pulled her wrist back to herself shaking her head. Confusion clouded in olive colored eyes as Natsu withdrew his hand.

"I can't do that, Natsu."

Natsu looked deep into her dark eyes, searching for some reason as to why she would say no. "Ya don't like the way yer livin' now, right? So why not go on an adventure with me?"

Because she was scared, because she didn't want to get her hopes up, because she didn't want to be disappointed by the outcome. The list could go on and on for reasons why she couldn't just up and leave for an adventure with Natsu, someone she has only met twice. She was an adult now, no longer some foolish sixteen year old girl who tried running away from her father every other week. She learned that there was no running away from problems, not her's at least.

"I'm an adult, Natsu. I can't escape reality, so it's better for me to just accept that fact and deal with what's in my way like any other adult does." She chewed on her bottom lip as she looked at the snow covered ground. She didn't want to see the familiar look of disappointment flash in his handsome green eyes- she'd seen enough of that from her father to last a lifetime.

"Luce, look at me," The blonde woman groaned at the nickname and continued to stare at the ground until two of his long tan fingers came underneath her chin and gently lifted her face so that they were eye to eye. Instead of seeing disappointment like she had thought, his eyes glistened with amusement as he grinned at her, his white canines being shown off once again. "Are ya really like any other adult? Or is that just who ya pretend ta be?"

Before she could respond he slipped his fingers out from under her chin, taking her cold hand in his warm one as he continued walking down the hill as he said, "Let's go find yer friend and metal freak. Feel bad for leavin' her with 'im, he's such an ass."

Lucy giggled quietly and a small smile formed on Natsu's face as he heard the delightful sound. He made sure he wasn't facing her as his cheeks flushed in just the slightest bit of pink as the duo continued to walk together, hand in hand. "You shouldn't. I'm pretty sure Levy has a crush on him."

Natsu wrinkled his nose at the thought. "No way. If anything Metalhead's the one that has the crush." He snickered, already coming up with several different insults he could use on his brute of a cousin for liking the small girl.

"Think about it though, Natsu! Beauty and the Beast, right in front of us!" At that, Natsu guffawed loudly, letting go of Lucy's hand and clutching his stomach in laughter. Lucy scowled at the pink haired man, smacking the back of his head as she muttered _jerk_ under her breath. Natsu didn't even flinch as her hand came in contact with him, too busy laughing to notice it. "That's a very romantic story, I'll have you know!"

Natsu sobered up as quickly as he could as she began to stomp away, still letting out some quiet sniggers as he jogged back up to her. He threw a lazy hot arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him so she couldn't get away this time. "Aw, come on Lucy. I'm sorry." He pouted as she turned her head away from him before a wide grin stretched over his face. "I'll make it up to ya! This Friday, I'll take ya to the new trampoline place. My friend Loke works there so we might get a discount."

Lucy raised one of her perfectly shaped brows at his offer. He wants to take her out on what she could only assume was a date, and he wants to go to a place for kids? She had to admit, she did not see that one coming, though Lucy supposes she should have. After all, in the little time that she has spent with the man next to her she's learned that he was still a child at heart.

Natsu was looking at her expectantly, waiting for her answer.

"I suppose I could do that," She didn't exactly have much to do Friday, except for her lecture but that was early in the morning. Plus, she would definitely need some time with Natsu after an hour long class with Mr. Porla. That man always managed to get on her nerves. She could hardly ever get an A on anything in his class, and she has no doubt that it is because she's a Heartfilia. The older man has done everything but be verbal about his hatred towards her family, whether it be through his actions or her grades.

"Awesome!" Natsu exclaimed, unconsciously tugging her closer to him as he shot his fist into the air. "We're gonna have so much fun, Lucy!"

* * *

"If I may say, princess, it sounds like this man has feelings for you," Virgo said as she picked up one of the many books that were scattered around Lucy's room. Lucy had decided after she arrived home from her exciting day with Natsu, Levy, and Gajeel, that she might as well sort out her bookshelf with all of the energy still pent up inside of her. So currently her and Virgo were sat in the middle of the messy room, completely surrounded by books as they arranged them in alphabetical order.

That may sound boring to anyone else, but to Lucy it was always the best time for her and her dear maid to talk about everything and anything. Lucy just regretted that she had accidentally slipped about Natsu to her though. The pink-haired woman would never let her live that down.

"D-Don't say that, Virgo!" Lucy felt the familiar rush of heat to her cheeks and the tips of her ears.

"I'm sorry. Is it time for punishment?"

"No!" Lucy placed her freezing hands on her cheeks in an attempt to cool down her raging blush. One would think that after all these years Lucy would be over her friend's quirk and her bluntness but it's not as simple as you'd think! Especially when that friend asking you about the guy you may or may not be attracted to. And it wasn't like Lucy could just lie to the woman either. She always caught on, one way or another. Both a blessing and a curse if you'd ask her.

"Anyways, it's not a date because I haven't lost the bet, and I don't plan on losing either. So on Friday, after my lecture, I'm going to meet him at the bus stop and we'll go to the trampoline place." Lucy explained as she placed the next book on the shelf. Virgo nodded but Lucy didn't miss the cheeky glint in her bright blue eyes. She was probably filing that information away for later. The young blonde bit back a groan as she grabbed the book _Pride & Prejudice_. A small smile graced her lips as the memory of her and Natsu at the bookstore resurfaced, bringing along some weird and unfamiliar feelings with it.

Unbeknownst to the heiress, the maid with the bubblegum colored hair smiled softly at the sight of her young mistress looking so happy. It was the first time in a long time since she had last seen that look on the blonde's face, and she was more than willing to do anything it takes to keep it there. After so many years of working under the Heartfilia's, Lucy had wormed her way into Virgo's and many of the other servants' hearts. And to see that she was finally moving on from that rough gray patch in her life was more than Virgo could ever wish for her.

"Virgo?"

"Yes princess?" She turned her bright blue eyes back on Lucy, handing her the next book. The blonde looked at her with concern but didn't say a word when she saw the grin on the maid's face. Lucy could only imagine what she could have been thinking about at that moment. "Princess, I've been thinking…" The young maid trailed off, unsure of whether or not she should continue.

"Thinking about what?" She took the book and placed it neatly next to _Pride & Prejudice_. She welcomed the feeling of a job well done as she noticed that they were nearing the end of the pile of her favorite books already.

A sudden sense of dread overwhelmed Virgo. "Nevermind, I'll tell you later."

Lucy looked suspicious but soon shrugged. If Virgo didn't want to tell her, than that was her choice. She shouldn't force it out of her. She knows she can trust her friend to come and tell her when she is ready. Tucking the frustrating lock of hair that kept falling in her face, Lucy moved to grab the next novel.

"Where is it that he is taking you out for you date?" Virgo asked teasingly, standing up and brushing invisible dust off of her maid outfit. She took pleasure from Lucy's red face before reaching a hand down to help her young mistress.

"Virgo! I keep telling you that it's not d-d-date!" Lucy stuttered out, taking her friend's hand. Virgo easily pulled her up, as if the blonde weighed no more than a feather. "And he told me he was going to take me to this trampoline place that opened up recently." She answered. She stretched her tired arms behind her, a sleepy smile on her face.

"Oh no! I don't have anything to wear! What do you even wear to go jumping? Do you wear yoga pants? Oh, but it's too cold to wear those!" Virgo watched in amusement as Lucy paced around the enormous bedroom. Lucy worried her lip between her teeth before turning around abruptly, heading straight to her closet with a new determination. "I'm gonna wear something cute, even if it's the last thing that I do!"

 _And it's not because of Natsu,_ Lucy reminded herself as she searched through her shirts, looking for one that was fashionable yet still allowed her to jump and have fun in. It was a pretty difficult search. Most of her closet was clothes her father had approved, so they were reserved and professional looking. _I will find a cute shirt because I have a reputation to uphold._

"Good luck, princess!"

* * *

Forty minutes later found Lucy slumped against her bed, her golden hair sprawled wildly against the pink covers. Surrounding her was a bunch of discarded shirts that she had either deemed as uncute, not jumping material, or both. Virgo and some of the other maids offered to pick up the clothes, but Lucy shooed them away, telling them that she'd do it herself.

"It's decided," Lucy said to herself, blowing an annoying strand of hair out of her face. "I'm going to go to the mall tomorrow." She had no lectures tomorrow, and she was pretty sure that she hadn't made any plans with anyone since Levy had English for the greater part of Thursday. Her schedule was free the entire day. She scanned the mess of clothes that surrounded her, debating on whether or not she wanted to get up and put them away.

Unconsciously, her eyes drifted over to where Natsu's black jacket was hung over her desk chair. She smiled faintly at the memory before glancing over at the comic laid next to it. She pushed herself up, moving over to her nicely organized desk and grabbing it, paying little attention to the pile of letters next to it. Once she was back to her bed, she read the title. _Amazing Spider-Man #300_.

"Why would he give me the 300th book in the series?" She asked quietly. She shrugged, assuming that Natsu had a reason for giving her this specific comic book. Excitedly, Lucy opened the first page of the comic, cozying down to spend the rest of her night reading. "I'm not going to lose this bet."


End file.
